Winder guard



Sept. 24, 1963 H. R. PATTERSON, JR., ETAL 3,104,845

WINDER GUARD Filed Sept. 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TORS TORNE YS Sept. 24, 1963 H. R PATTERSON, JR., ETAL WINDER GUARD `2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 26, 1961 r. s/W S m7 H m?, N y?. mf T P? T r A fw @i 146W, @Wg w United States Patent O 3,104,845 WINDER GUARD Henry R. Patterson, Jr., West Chester, Pa., and lRobert C. Walker, Wilmington, Del., assignors to Beloit Eastern Corporation, Downington, Pa., a corporation of Dela- Wal'e Filed sept. as, 1961, ser. No. 140,743 4 claims. (ci. 242-66) The present invention relates to improvements in Winder machines and particularly to an improved guard for protecting the nip of the Winder and for moving the guard as the diameter of a wound roll changes.

In a Winder machine such as for winding a paper web on a roll, the roll is supported on a pair of winder drums with the web being wound on a core to form the wound roll. A nip is formed between the roll and winder drum on the down travelling side of the roll which is dangerous to operating personnel in that an article of clothing or their hand may be drawn into the nip with very disastrous results. The outer surface of the wound roll travels at a very high speed such as on the order of 7,500 feet per minute and it is easy for the hand of an operator to be drawn into the unprotected nip. The wound rolls reach substantial weights and may weigh as much as over 2,000 pounds so that a crushing pressure exists in the nip which will dismember an individual who may be accidentally caught therein. As the wound roll builds up in size it can easily brush against an individual near the nip, and the change in position of the surface of the roll as it increases in diameter makes it diicult to protect the nip.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for guarding the nip and the surface of a wound roll at the nip of a high speed winding machine wherein the surface and the exact position of the nip change during operation due to build up or change in diameter of the wound roll during operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved nip guarding device for a high speed winding machine wherein a guard is controllably positioned by being moved during operation of the machine in accordance with the change in diameter of the wound roll so that the guard will be maintained in close guarding relationship to the moving surface of the wound roll.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved nip guard for a winding machine including a pivotally mounted guard beam which is supported so that it will remain parallel to the surface of the wound roll, to provide means for accurately detecting change in position of the surface of the roll with its increase in diameter, and to provide a signal which is a function of surface position for controlling and moving the location of a guard relative to the winding nip so that the nip will receive optimum protection.

Other objects, advantages and features will become more apparent with the teaching of the principles of the invention in connection With the disclosure of the preferred embodiment thereof in the specification, claims and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a winding machine shown somewhat in schematic form and being prolCC vided with a nip guard in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the lower portion of the machine of FIGURE l showing the position of the nip guard when the roll is just starting to be wound; and

FIGURE 3 is a somewhat diagrammatic illustration of control mechanism for positioning the nip guard during operation.

As shown on the drawings:

FIGURES 1 and 2 show a paper Winder having a pair of spaced parallel horizontal Winder drums 10 and 11 which are mounted on a frame 12 supported on a floor surface 13. The Winder drums 10 and 11 carry a winding roll 14 thereon and may be driven in rotation by suitable mechanism, not shown, for this purpose. e A paper web W is wound on the roll 14 and is supplied from a suitable source travelling over a guide roll 15 and up over the Winder drum 11 onto the outer surface of the roll 14.

The roll 14 of course starts as a small roll with the lead end of the paper being started on a core, and builds up in diameter, with FIGURE 2 showing the roll 14 at a smaller size and FIGURE 1 showing the roll as it is being completed. A rider roll 16 may rest on the top of the roll to stabilize it in the winder drums 151 and 11 and increase frictional contact of the roll with the surfaces of the drums 19 and 11. The rider roll is supported on a hanger 17 which is suitably guided in the frame and the weight of the rider roll and its hanger are in part supported from above on a cable 18 passing up over guide sheaves 19 and 2S and the cable is counterweighted by a weight, not shown, in the direction indicated by the arrow 21. A fresh core 23 for winding a new roll is suitably supported in a rack 22 which need not be described in detail since it forms no part of the present invention.

The lead Winder nip is show at N with the surface of the roll 14 travelling in the direction indicated by the arrowed line. The nip is protected by a guard member 24 in the form of anelongated guard beam which extends across a head of the nip N. A pivotal roll-out board 27 is shown supported on the frame and resting on top of the guard beam 24 with a ridge 28 on top of the beam so that the beam slides beneath the roll-out board 27 as the beam 24 is moved.

The guard beam is supported on arms 29 at its ends for pivotal movement toward or away from the outer surface 31 of the roll 14, and it is controllably positioned by being drawn away from the center of the roll 14 as its diameter increases, by pneumatic support cylinders 25 and 26 having pistons attached to piston rods 25a and 26a connected to the ends of the beam 24 and being synchronized so that the beam will receive equal support at each end and will not twist so that a small clearance space can be maintained between the leading edge 30 of the beam and the outer surface 31 of the roll 14. It will be recognized that optimum protection is obtained by maintaining the clearance space between the edge 30 of the beam and the surface 31 at a minimum, although the beam must not engage the paper inasmuch as at the high surface speeds this would tear or score the paper and damage its surface.

The guard beam 24 is positioned as a function of the anode/t change in diameter of the roll, or in other words as a change in position of the outer surface 3l of the roll lf-i. The guard beam is moved during winding of the roll so as to be maintained in close guarding proximity thereto. To operate the pneumatic cylinders 2S and 2d to maintain the accurate guarding posi-tion of the beam 2li, the displacement or increase in diameter or radius f the winding roll is sensed land converted to a displacement signal, the displacement signal :is converted to a control signal which is a function of the ou-tput of the pneumatic cylinders Z5 and 2e which is necessary to obtain the proper and accurate position of the guard beam 24. As shown in -FEGURE l, the core 32, of the winding roll ld has a connector 33 rotatably attached to its end and the connector is attached to a cable 3d which passes over the top of a cani sheave 35 and the cable has a weight 39 at its end WMch maintains its tension over the sheave. An idler sheave 4G increases the angle of Wrap of the cable. To the sheave 35 is attached a control cam 3o which engages a control arrn 37 operating a control signal valve 3S. rlihe valve 3d, as also shown in FGURE 3, produces an output pressure signmV for operating the air cylinders 2S and 26;

An air supply source such as the type available in shops having paper making and winding machinery is provided, as shown schematically by a pump i8 and the air Iflows through a filter 4l with the operating air flowing through a branch line 42 and the signal air flowing through a branch line `d5. The operating air iiows through an adjustable pressure regulator 43 to the air cylinders 25 and Z6 and a gauge d4 is connected to register operating supply air pressure.

The signal lair pressure in line l5 flows through an adjustable pressure remilator 46 to the signal valve 38 and a gauge 47 is connected to read the pressure of the air to .the control valve 3S. v

A valve 49 is interposed in line Sil leading from the signal pressure regulating valve 3S to the air cylinders, and the valve 49 is solenoid operated and ideactuates the control system when the solenoid valve is deenergized. A switch 5l is moved to the dotted line closed circuit position for actuating the automatic system, and is turned to the solid line position for desctuating the automatic system for manual operation, such as may be done when the guard beam is to be moved out of the way for threading. A switch 52 may be a selector switch interloclted to the main drive switch to place the system in operation during normal winding. The switches are connected between electrical lines shown at L1 and L2 which supply the solenoid valve 49.

The air cylinders 2S and 26 in their entirety are follow up or servo units which provide accurate positioning of the piston rods a and 26a in accordance with the pressure signal provided by the valve 33. Various types of servo output members may be employed operating from a signal, and a mechanism Well adapted for use in the present system is a pneumatic positioner sold commercially by the Conofiow Corporation as a Cylinder Conornotor.

The shape of the control cam 36 is easily determined by laying out or plotting the positions of the point of connection 251') between the piston rod 25a and the guard beam 24 (which is the linear displacement of the piston rod 25a) against the vertical displacement of the core 32 of the roll. Since the cam 3d is driven in rotation directly by vertical displacement of the core, the surface of .the cam 3o Iwill be lotted to give vthe required displacement of point 2.5i) to obtain the proper position for the guard beam 2d for all roll diameters. In other words, as will be appreciated from the above by those skilled inthe art, the cam has ya shape to produce a control pressure signal to operate the cylinders .to maintain the beam 2d in close Yguarding position as the roll builds up in size.

It is to be understood that Ywhile the preferred -ar- '2l rangement is illustrated, the position of the guard beam fdcould be more directly controlled such as by a surface responsive l'air jet control or an electric eye control, both of which would maintain the guard beam in close guarding proximity to the surface 31 of the roll without touching the surface. Also, servo motors lSuch as the cove described Cylinder Conomotor of the integral type or the external type positioning device are well knownv to the art and need not be described in detail.

lt is to be further understood that whileV the mechanisrn is shown and described as being advantageous in a 4paper roll Winding machine, it may be employed in other winding machine environments wherein the diameter of Ia wound roll changes, and may also be employed to guard the nip of a roll as it is unwound, and the term winding machine is used to indicate machines used for winding or for unwinding pur-poses;

n operation, a roll ld begins Winding with the outer surface 3l adjacent the nip, and the nip, being guarded by the guard beam 24. As the diameter of the roll 14 builds up to be larger, as shown in FlGURE Il, the `core 32 rises and the cam 36 is rotated to operate the signal control valve 3rd, and the pressure signal in the line 5l) operates the servo -air cylinders 25 and 26 to position the guard beam 24 maintaining its leading edge 30 in close proximity to the outer surface 3l without touching the surface. rFhus, the nip N is guarded equally as well for all stages of operation of the winding of the roll i4.

The drawings and specification present a detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the invention, and it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific lforms disclosed, but covers all rnodiiications, changes and alternative constructions and methods falling Within the scope of the principles taught by the invention.

We claim as our invention: i

l. ln a winding machine having a Winder :drum for engaging a roll with a web being Wo-und thereon, a guard beam extending along the roll ahead of the drum, a pneul matic cylinder for positioning the guard beam relative to the roll surface, said cylinder operatedby a pressure signal, a control valve for providing said pressure signal, a rotary cam for operating said control valve, a sheave connected to the cam, and a Weighted cable threaded over said sheave and connected at one end to the center of the roil with said cam having a shape to provide a control pressure signal for maintaining the beam in close proximate guarding relation to thek roll.

92. A machine lhaving means for supporting a rotating roll with a rapidly travelling surface which changes in position with change in diameter of Vthe roll and Itransfer of a web relative to the roll, a first zone along said roll surface exposed to personnel, a second danger zone along said roll surface to be protected, a movable guardrnernber positioned adjacent said surface between said zones protecting said second Zone, fluid pressure operated means for moving said guard member, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said pressure operated means, and

control means operated by change in roll diameter con nected to said fluid pressure supply means and controlling fluid delivery to said pressure operated means maintaining the guard in close guarding proximity with said sur Y face as the roll changes in size. y

3. ln a winding machine having a Winder. drurnfor engaging a roll with a web being Wound thereon,A a` guard beam extending along the roll ahead of the Winder drum, fluid pressure operated means for positioning the guard beam relative to the roll surface, means moving as a function of the increase in roll dia-meter and providing l a displacement signal, means converting said displacement signal to a control signal, and fluid pressure supply means delivering fluid to said iiuid pressure operated means operated by said control signal means to give the guard a position in continued close guarding proximity .to the surface of the roll.

4. In a Winding machine having a Winder drum for engaging a roll with a web being Wound thereon, a guard beam extending `along the roll ahead of :the drum, a fluid pressure operated means for positioning the guard beam relative to the roll surface, means moving as -a .function of increase in roll `diameter `providing a displacement signal, a shaped cam driven by said moving means and having a surface shaped to produce la signal converting said displacement signal to a control signal which is a function of the movement of the power means required to rposition the guard beam in close proximate guarding relationship to the roll surface, and means operated by said control signal for supplying a variable pressure to said pressure operated means as a function of said control signal for positioning the guard beam and maintaining it in close proximate guarding relation to the roll.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 631,513 Warren Aug. 22, 1899 1,575,088 Bartlett Mar. 2, 1926 1,605,170 Cameron Nov. 2, 1926 1,628,488 Bourgord etal May 10, 1927 1,705,120 Johnstone Mar. 12, 1929 1,739,931 Valentine Dec. 17, 1929 1,942,357 Gibbs Jan. 2, 1934 2,670,152 Priest Feb. 23, 1954 

1. IN A WINDING MACHINE HAVING A WINDER DRUM FOR ENGAGING A ROLL WITH A WEB BEING WOUND THEREON, A GUARD BEAM EXTENDING ALONG THE ROLL AHEAD OF THE DRUM, A PNEUMATIC CYLINDER FOR POSITIONING THE GUARD BEAM RELATIVE TO THE ROLL SURFACE, SAID CYLINDER OPERATED BY A PRESSURE SIGNAL, A CONTROL VALVE FOR PROVIDING SAID PRESSURE SIGNAL, A ROTARY CAM FOR OPERATING SAID CONTROL VALVE, A SHEAVE CONNECTED TO THE CAM, AND A WEIGHTED CABLE THREADED OVER SAID SHEAVE AND CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THE CENTER OF THE ROLL WITH SAID CAM HAVING A SHAPE TO PROVIDE A 